Iowa has the second largest number of large-scale commercial dog breeding facilities in the country. This hour, concerns about what are commonly known as puppy mills.

Listen

Listening...

/

44:59

Listen to the show - River to River

The U.S. Humane Society's 2014 report includes six problem puppy breeders in Iowa. Today, we talk about concerns over large-scale dog breeders with Mary LaHay, President of Iowa Friends of Companion Animals. She says that Iowa has "over 15,000 adult dogs in Iowa puppy mills, and we can do better than this."

Animal rights advocate Nancy Harvey talks about her experience going to one of Iowa’s notoriously bad breeders, Debra Pratt's facility, that was shut down by the USDA last year.

Illinois pet store owner, Greg Gordon, talks about his experience selling both breeder puppies and shelter dogs. He says that there are many breeders in Iowa that are legitimate, "wonderful people doing things the right way." Since 2011, he now sells only shelter animals at his store, and sees this as the way the industry is headed in the future, “a new model for pet stores.”

And, Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy talks about his plan to bring the issue of dog breeder regulation to the Iowa Statehouse next year.